Speculations on the Causes and Consequences of Individual Differences in Early Reading Acquisition

Abstract

This chapter presents some conclusions and speculations about the cognitive mechanisms that underlie individual differences in reading acquisition. It then considers some of the processes and skills that have been widely discussed in the past decade in the literature on individual differences in reading. The chapter provides equal attention to some of the implications that failing at early reading acquisition, and failing for particular reasons, has for later academic achievement and for cognitive development in general. Research has demonstrated that difficulty at using context to facilitate the recognition of words is not a major cause of reading failure or a major determinant of variability in reading achievement. Studies of early reading converge with the research with older children and adults in indicating that reading acquisition in less-skilled children seems not to be impeded by an inability to use context to facilitate word recognition.

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